Keen to increase my already oversized library of books about my
favourite plants, I wondered if the erudite, brilliant members of this
group had any recommendations? What is your favourite book - for any
reason - pictures, practicalities, dreaming? I would cite the
following:

Graham Stuart Thomas, the triple-decker classic
Peter Beales, Classic Roses (though actually it's mostly in this
excellent catalogue, and the same goes for David Austin's stuff)
Vita Sackville-west, In Your Garden
and a marvellous Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall book which is a history of
the rose garden.

I also like Yates's Roses (about growing in Oz, so not relevant, but
fun) and The Search For Lost Roses.
--
Jane Lumley

Jane Lumley wrote:

... What is your favourite book - for any reason - pictures,
practicalities, dreaming? I would cite the following:

Graham Stuart Thomas, the triple-decker classic Peter Beales, Classic
Roses (though actually it's mostly in this excellent catalogue, and
the same goes for David Austin's stuff) Vita Sackville-west, In Your
Garden and a marvellous Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall book which is a
history of the rose garden.

I also like Yates's Roses (about growing in Oz, so not relevant, but
fun) and The Search For Lost Roses.

All are very good choices, and congratulations for having enjoyed such
excellent volumes.

Let me add a few from my own list of rose books that I have liked for
companions over the years:

Brent C. Dickerson's (and he does write on this forum every now and
then; Brent, where are you?) 'The Old Rose Adventurer' and 'The Old
Rose Advisor.' Comprehensive, erudite and a lot of fun to read, truly an
unimaginable combination.

Ralph Moore's 'All About Miniature Roses.' This book offers great
insight into the amazing career of a modern-day rose legend.

Ellen Willmott's 'Genus Rosa,' for anyone interested in species roses.

Suzanne Verrier's 'Rose Gallica,' probably the best book about a class
of roses that I care about a great deal.

Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix's 'Old Roses' (not a very long book, but
packed with goodies including stunning photographs, and part of a series
that also contains 'Herbs for Cooking,' 'Salad Plants' and 'Scented
Plants.' Their earlier book, the companion to their BBC series of the
same name 'The Quest for the Rose', is a lot of fun too.

Allen Lacy's 'The Glory of Roses' is one "Cofee Table" book on roses
that I would strongly recommend for it does not stop with being merely
decorative. Anyone who has known and enjoyed Lacy's inimitable prose
will be hooked on anything he has written about gardening anyway, and
the photographs by Christopher Baker accompanied by Lacy's prose are the
best cure when pursued by the Blue Devils.

Peter Bernhardt's 'The Rose's Kiss.' This one is not just a Rose book
despite the title; Prof. Bernhardt teaches Biology at St. Louis
University and this book's second title is 'A Natural History of
Flowers.' Easily readable and full of fun stuff, such as this rose
riddle, written by Albertus Magnus in ca. 1200s, and translated by
Edward A. Bowles:

"On a summer's day, in sultry weather,
Five brethren were born together,
Two had beards and two had none,
And the other had half but a one."

And so on ....

--
Radika
California
USDA 9 / Sunset 15

if you are lucky enough to read some french :
- "La rose de France" by Francois Joyaux.
It's all about Gallicas. Very interesting text, beautifull pics. An attempt
to have all the known (and unknown) gallicas.
Much better than S. Verrier's book.
- "La Rose, une passion francaise" by Francois Joyaux. History of the rose
in France, without being one-eyed and self centered on France. Must have if
you are passionated by OGR. I think that book will be translated in english
soon.

now in English :
- "The Charm of old roses" by Nancy Steen (1966)
- Roger Mann's "Roses"
- " The makers of heavenly roses" by Jack Harness, if you are interesting in
the history of some breeders.
- "Gardening with Old Roses" by A. Sinclair and Rosemary Thodley. It's for
New Zealand, but very interesting in a more general point of view.

Jocelen
www.rosarosam.com



"Jane Lumley" wrote in message
...
Keen to increase my already oversized library of books about my
favourite plants, I wondered if the erudite, brilliant members of this
group had any recommendations? What is your favourite book - for any
reason - pictures, practicalities, dreaming? I would cite the
following:

Graham Stuart Thomas, the triple-decker classic
Peter Beales, Classic Roses (though actually it's mostly in this
excellent catalogue, and the same goes for David Austin's stuff)
Vita Sackville-west, In Your Garden
and a marvellous Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall book which is a history of
the rose garden.

I also like Yates's Roses (about growing in Oz, so not relevant, but
fun) and The Search For Lost Roses.
--
Jane Lumley

Rosa Rosam wrote:
if you are lucky enough to read some french :
- "La rose de France" by Francois Joyaux.
It's all about Gallicas. Very interesting text, beautifull pics. An attempt
to have all the known (and unknown) gallicas.
Much better than S. Verrier's book.

Jocelen,

Has that book been translated or likely to be translated in to English?
I love Gallicas and am intrigued by your saying that this is much better
than Verrier's book. I would love to read it, and my French reading
skills were only good enough to translate technical papers in chemistry
(just so I can fulfill foreign language requirements for graduation),
but were never good enough to appreciate the beauty of the prose. Now,
after several years of very occasional use, they are rustier than ever.
Alas, the loss is mine.

- "La Rose, une passion francaise" by Francois Joyaux. History of the rose
in France, without being one-eyed and self centered on France. Must have if
you are passionated by OGR. I think that book will be translated in english
soon.

Glad to hear that.

--
Radika
California
USDA 9 / Sunset 15

Hi Radika,
If you are interested in the Gallicas you should become a member of the
"Rosa Gallicas" society. They are in France but have a VERY interesting
bulletin which, I think, is now translated in english. They are shipping
overseas. and it's 25 euros for 2003.
Their website (in french) is here : http://rosagallica.free.fr/

For the book, well I don't know, but if you are asking to Rosa Gallica,
they'll tell you :

Jocelen
www.rosarosam.com




"Radika Kesavan" wrote in message
...
Rosa Rosam wrote:
if you are lucky enough to read some french :
- "La rose de France" by Francois Joyaux.
It's all about Gallicas. Very interesting text, beautifull pics. An
attempt
to have all the known (and unknown) gallicas.
Much better than S. Verrier's book.

Jocelen,

Has that book been translated or likely to be translated in to English?
I love Gallicas and am intrigued by your saying that this is much better
than Verrier's book. I would love to read it, and my French reading
skills were only good enough to translate technical papers in chemistry
(just so I can fulfill foreign language requirements for graduation),
but were never good enough to appreciate the beauty of the prose. Now,
after several years of very occasional use, they are rustier than ever.
Alas, the loss is mine.

- "La Rose, une passion francaise" by Francois Joyaux. History of the
rose
in France, without being one-eyed and self centered on France. Must have
if
you are passionated by OGR. I think that book will be translated in
english
soon.

Glad to hear that.

--
Radika
California
USDA 9 / Sunset 15

Rosa Rosam wrote:
Hi Radika,
If you are interested in the Gallicas you should become a member of the
"Rosa Gallicas" society. They are in France but have a VERY interesting
bulletin which, I think, is now translated in english. They are shipping
overseas. and it's 25 euros for 2003.
Their website (in french) is here : http://rosagallica.free.fr/

For the book, well I don't know, but if you are asking to Rosa Gallica,
they'll tell you :

Jocelen
www.rosarosam.com


Thank you! I shall look into this.

--
Radika
California
USDA 9 / Sunset 15

Hello Jane,

I guess most of us have catholic tastes when it comes
to rose books, but here is my list of the ones that I
would look for it if I didn't have them:

All of Peter Beales books, in particular for growers
of HTs, Twenty Century Roses.

The Charm of old roses by Nancy Steen published by
Herbert Jenkins in London which I am not sure is
available here, mine is an old copy I got in the UK.
(Alibris may have it though)

Roses by Gertrude Jekyll and Edward Mawley
with an intro by Graham S. Thomas himself. A
great little book that I find myself reading time
and again. Also by Ms. Jekyll another favorite of
mine "The Gardener's Essential". (I believe there
are two versions and my favorite is the one selected
and with an introduction by Elizabeth Lawrence)

The Glory of Roses by Allen Lacy, when it came
out in 1990 - during the years of the coffee table
books that Stewart, Tabori & Chang were famous
for - everyone thought I was crazy for buying it.
No "serious" collector would fall for the pretty
pictures! Love that book. It has been used to
death around here, sound comments and even
more daring approach than some would have
risked in the early nineties to put forth. If you
can find it, make it the only book you "must" buy.
A source of beauty and a joy forever. You can
quote me.

For their sheer amount of useful information
The Ultimate Rose Book by Peter McHoy,
The Rose Expert by Dr. D.G. Hessayon,
The Fragrant Year by Helen Van Pelt Wilson
and Leonie Bell.

On the more studious side, I love my Prince's
Manual of Roses; How to grow roses (1937
edition) by J.Horace McFarland and Robert
Pyle; John Fisher's The Companion to Roses;
The Complete Book of Roses, by John Mattock
et all, from the UK. It may be available around
here.

Hennessey on Roses because he was so down to
earth (and blooming opinionated but for a good cause)
that is worth to learn some things out of the common
stream of knowledge about roses from him.

Rosa Gallica and Rosa Rugosa both by Suzy Verrier,
excellent books with good photos to identify the elusive
ones that sometimes appear in the garden under a
pretended name ;)

Roger Phillips and Martyn Rix "Old Roses" because
is just about the only "honest" book where the warts
are warts and the "beauty marks" are beauties.
By them also "Roses" (The Random House book of
Roses) for just about the same reasons.

Mark Mattock "Roses for the smaller garden", because
although it uses many of the already tried and true
ones, it has a fresh approach to some that is worth
reviewing.

And just because I can stare mesmerized at the shot
of Rosa x centifolia "Cristata" on page 35, what in
my opinion is the ultimate in rose photography:
"Roses, Old Roses and Species Roses" by Paul Starosta
and Eleonore Cruse. Not to speak of the others that
simply take your breath away. Scholarly but easy on
both the eye and the brain. The first edition of the
book is from Editions du Chêne- Hachette Livre-Roses
but I know there is an English version. This book should
be a must in every rose lover's shelf.

So, here you have it, some of my favorites, and if you
want to look for any of them check Alibris that seems
to every once in a while have the right book at the right
time (as if there is a wrong time for a book about roses ;)

Allegra

In article 3e9bd2af$1@news, Rosa Rosam writes
- "La Rose, une passion francaise" by Francois Joyaux. History of the rose
in France, without being one-eyed and self centered on France. Must have if
you are passionated by OGR. I think that book will be translated in english
soon.


I managed to pick up a copy of this in Paris this week, and I'm loving
it. Thank you, Rosa Rosam. When is the translation due? It's a book
I'd like to give to everyone I know who cares about roses.

I also managed to get out to Bagatelle - fascinatingly healthy but very
modern plants.
--
Jane Lumley